1. Technical Field
The invention includes embodiments that relate to an article for use in a detector device, and to the detector device. The invention includes embodiments that relate to a method of using the article or detector device.
2. Discussion of Art
A microfluidic detector system can analyze small amounts of sample that is introduced into the system. The sample may include one or more analytes of interest. The microfluidic detector system may have components that include a propulsion device, flow controls, flow conditioning components, energy sources, and detectors of changes of analytes in response to the measured parameter or parameters. The propulsion device may be a pump; the flow controls may include valves and filters; the flow conditioning components may include heaters and coolers; and, the detectors may include optical, thermal, electrochemical-based detectors.
The microfluidic detector system may use fluidic pumps and/or syringes to provide an amount of the sample into a testing area where the sample can be tested. The complexity of the tubing and/or robotics that move and meter the sample, and that clean and purge the testing area between use, may be problematic. Further, the microfluidic detector system may be unwieldy in size and may not be amenable to portability and field use.
It may be desirable to have a device or system with properties and characteristics that differ from those properties of currently available apparatus or system. It may be desirable to have a method that differs from those methods currently available.